The Morning Briefing: Debate Night 2 Electric Boogaloo, the Woke-Off Beat Goes On

Good Friday morning.

Here is what’s on the president’s agenda today:

The president participates in a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan
President Trump participates in a trilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan and the Prime Minister of the Republic of India
The president participates in a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of India
President Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
The president participates in an official welcome and family photo
President Trump participates in the G20 leaders’ special event on the Digital Economy
The president participates in a G20 working lunch on the Global Economy, Trade, and Investment
President Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with the President of the Russian Federation
The president participates in a bilateral meeting with the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
President Trump participates in the G20 cultural program

Debate Night 2: Electric Boogaloo woke-off and also lots of free stuff

Winners: Mitch McConnell, those who didn’t watch, my cat Electra who coughed up a fur ball

Night two of the Democrat presidential debate delivered as expected. There was no Spanish but mucho loco. During the first debate, the candidates were just trying to get some attention because many of them were unknown. On night two, the candidates attacked the president more explicitly and attacked one another because they are jockeying for a bump in the polls. G-d help us.

Biden was the big target because he’s the frontrunner and was mostly defending himself against his lack of wokeness. Back in his day, what the woke police considered woke was actually considered madness or mental illness. Times, they are a-changin’.

Kamala went after Biden hard, playing the race card. “That girl was me!” Mission accomplished for Kamala, daughter of two university professors. How many times did Harris practice this yarn in front of the mirror?

WATCH: Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Joe Biden address each other directly on the matter of race and civil rights. #DemDebate2 pic.twitter.com/jjG20rJrx3

— CNBC (@CNBC) June 28, 2019

Eric Swalwell thinks Biden and Bernie are old and should “pass the torch.” You can buy a t-shirt with that if you are interested, I hear. Maybe the municipal workers who clean up the human feces in Los Angeles can wear one while they wash down the sidewalks. Gillibrand kept interrupting because no one cared about her enough to call on her. The more she talked, the more annoying she was. I hope her strategists tell her to dial it back if she doesn’t drop out of the race in the next couple of weeks. Eric Swalwell wants a mandatory buyback of “assault weapons,” which I note the moderators did not ask him to define. “What’s the difference between a rifle and an ‘assault rifle’ Eric?” Kamala is going to take your guns with an executive order. Marianne Williamson is just bonkers. Andrew Yang spoke for about 45 seconds the entire debate; he can’t hang in much longer. Hickenlooper didn’t make much of an impression, or maybe it was that other white guy who’s not Bernie or Biden who didn’t make an impression. Buttigieg held his own, which is all he needed to do. Also, abortion, there will be lots of abortion and an abortion litmus tests for SCOTUS.

One thought that crossed my mind is how openly radical the Democrats have become compared to the 2016 campaign. Bernie was regarded as an extremist back then but they are all Bernie now. Free healthcare, free college, no borders, healthcare for illegal immigrants, radical economic policies to combat “climate change,” minimum wage hikes (sorry small businesses!), gun control (brain teaser: would the U.S. deport an illegal alien involved in a gun violence crime?), back into the Iran deal, back into the Paris Accords. Sounds like paradise. But how do you win a general election once you’ve come forward with these crazy policies?

I don’t see how Biden remains the clear front runner for much longer because he just doesn’t have the extremist cred Bernie has that’s necessary to get the grassroots support. Biden isn’t a member of a group that gives him that precious woke cachet like Kamala (person of color) or Buttigieg (gay). The Democrats are in a bind: if they don’t nominate a nutter, their base will attack and won’t turn out to vote; but unless they moderate their political positions, a large chunk of voters will be turned off. Good luck.

Biden says his first action as president will be ‘defeat Donald Trump’

Biden more than holds his own despite race-based slam from Harris

Sanders Says All of His Proposals Are ‘Fully Paid For’

Most Dems vow to decriminalize illegal immigration during Night 2 debate

Eric Swalwell swipes at Biden’s age: I’ll be a president that will ‘actually have to live with the decisions I make’

Pete Buttigieg responds to criticism over South Bend police shooting

‘America does not want to witness a food fight’: Harris breaks up fighting during Democratic debate

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden have heated exchange over race during Democratic debate

Trump says Dem debates weren’t ‘exciting,’ would rather hang out with Angela Merkel

Democrats Push Immigration Policies That Amount To Open Borders In Second Debate

Biden Proposes Ban on Gun Sales Other Than Theoretical ‘Smart Guns’

Kamala And Biden Have Debate Face-off on Racism

All candidates raise hands on giving health care to undocumented immigrants

Biden: President Trump Has ‘Ripped’ Soul Out of America

One quick thing: Sometimes, I write about Big Pharma, I’m not a fan. (I hate their commercials.) So heads up for those of you with an interest. The pharmaceutical industry looks like it’s getting into cannabis-infused drugs. (I use CBD oil for anxiety and insomnia. Don’t @ me.) According to Axios’ Vitals morning newsletter, the “industry is gingerly placing more bets on developing drugs with cannabis… now that 33 states and D.C. allow medical marijuana.” It’s a major about-face from an industry whose painkiller manufacturers have explicitly fought legalization in the past. Big question: Will this increase costs of pot-based treatments for patients? Probably. According to Axios, “GW Pharmaceuticals received federal approval last year for the epilepsy treatment Epidiolex, the first prescription drug derived from cannabis… Ouch: Epidiolex has a price tag of more than $32,000 per year — a tough cost to swallow.” Worth remembering: Big Pharma has been dropping huge sums for years now trying to kill the no-cost-to-taxpayers drug discount program 340B, which benefits a ton of Trump country voters and which Trump has taken steps to bolster and protect over industry objections. $32,000 a year is just a tad more than some mango-flavored CBD oil tincture (I use unflavored) bought down at your local vape shop. Keep an eye on this.

Other morsels:

Ken Cuccinelli blames drowned man in border photograph for own, daughter’s deaths

What if They Offered the Palestinians $50 Billion and No One Showed Up?

Acting Homeland Security chief denies leaking info on ICE raids: ‘It’s just not true’

Trump flashes a grin, tells Putin not to meddle in US election during first post-Mueller report meeting

Critics weaponize ‘Loudest Voice’ against Fox News

U.S. border facility gives tour after accusations of neglect

Nailed it. AOC Chief of Staff Compares Moderate Dems to Southern Racists

Obama Built The ‘Cages’ for Illegals, Not Trump, Says Obama ICE Chief

Colorado Teachers’ Union Protest Against DeVos Turns Vulgar

Miami Democrats Slam De Blasio for Quoting Che Guevara During Union Rally

German Firms Suspected of Having Exported Chemical-Weapon Materials to Assad